We Give Out To Give In.

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Life will always happen unannounced

I know of this young lady from my area

I saw her walked past me with so much sadness

With a little bit of concern, near, I pulled her

With a little more probing, she burst into tears

She was alone, frustrated, distant and not with her peers

My heart echoed thunder as tears flow ceaselessly from her face

I saw them flow, forming a trace

She couldn't hold back the tears

She felt the hard blow that life dealt her

She tried so much to hold back the pain

And every time, she broke down and it hurts

Some pains need to be allowed to show, I know

She did her best to be strong but how can she?

Adulthood converged on a teenager, how won't she crumble?

I offered a shoulder and I am glad she took it

She laid on it while she shed more years

Some pains are too much to be hidden

She let it all out and she didn't bother how she sounds

Her heart was heavy and anyone would understand

There is a limit to the pain the heart can withstand

She first tried to suppress it, God knows she tried

But she couldn't hold for so long as memories flow

Her tears had their way and washing away that glow

She said and I quote "Life dealt me a big blow"

From her breath, she took liquor that early, that's a massive low

She wanted to suppress the pain at least

And the pain always get the better of her every time

It's sad to see her broken beyond recognition

I wish I could wield the word to take the pains away

I wish I could give her the relief that she sought for

Nothing can be as disturbing as a feeling of helplessness

I just want happiness to sneak up on her this once, for now

So she can know how happiness feels one more time

Like water-deprived plant just at the scent of water

Her mother left her and she feels all alone

At this point, she wouldn't mind having her as a clone

She cried so much I could see her chest bone

It's a deafening silence you'd get when you call her on the phone

I desperately wish to go back and change things for her

How life turned her beautiful smile into a shallow ground

And she used to have one of the best smiles around

Now, life has decided to take away what was a blessing to her

She is still trying to act so strong

She lost her mum so young

She is broken, shattered and she is not wrong

She wasn't prepared and life forced growth on her

I thought things were supposed to be in stages?

I thought there is a process to things in life?

I can only wish her more strength -

Show compassion while adding more actions to make her better

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Sometimes, what people need is not money but a shoulder to lean on. We have come to trivialize everything in this world and when we see anyone, we feel what they are requiring from us is material things. Some people only want a shoulder to lean on, others might want just a hand to hold or a soothing word.

The events we see around us can be daunting and we might not even know how to come in and help. We see broken people all around us and we show them pity rather than compassion. Compassion requires action and not just the word of mouth. Life is so much better when we make people better than we met them and if you are unable to be of help to others, at least, don't make their lives worse off than you met them.

A lot of people go through a lot more than words can express. Life deals with everyone in various forms and unexpectedly too. You see a child lose his or her parent while a brother loses his sister and vice versa. No one can tell what others go through especially when their expression give so little away. A lot gets hidden and buried away from the surface and with nothing written on the face, we have to be more gentle with people and be intentional about helping when we got wind or a sniff of what others are going through.

As humans, we have mastered the art of masking things. We don't want to give too much away because we don't want to appear vulnerable. We want to act strong while suffering on the inside. Life happens and we need to understand this fact that no one can make it out here all alone. With or without our permission, life will happen we just need to try and be there for one another. We can make life bearable for others and we can expect even others to do the same for us. We all have varying strengths and we need to reach out even more. Life is not tit for tat sometimes, life is all about sacrifices. Giving is not giving until we have helped someone who might never be able to repay us.

Let us learn to be gentle with one another because you might be seated next to a broken person and you wouldn't know it. A little act of kindness might be the only ray of hope that would encourage others to keep going. I read the story of a man who felt life wasn't kind to him and he decided to commit suicide. He wrote in his journal that he was heading to commit suicide so he dressed his best while walking through a narrow road. He met another man coming in the opposite direction and the man complimented him by telling him how good he looked. After watching the man leave, he turned back and went home. He wrote in his journal how he changed his mind because someone complimented him and he is determined to live now because one person saw something good about him, at least.

When you have nothing good to say, it is better to hold still. Silence is golden when you have nothing good to say. Learn to speak encouragement even when you are not feeling it too because that way, you are also encouraging yourself. We help others and in that way, we are also helping ourselves.

Thank you for your time.